


Just an act?

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Flufftober [4]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26812603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Flufftober day 4: Fake dating
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Series: Flufftober [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947490
Comments: 9
Kudos: 69





	Just an act?

“You see Aaron and I… we’re together.” Robert said and gave Aaron his best loved up smile.

“How long have you been together for?”

“It’s early days.” Aaron replied. “But we’re enjoying each other’s company.” He smiled sweetly.

“What about the rumours of you two being at war with each other?”

“We realised that the strong feelings we had for each other were positive rather than negative.” Robert said, reciting the carefully crafted answers he’d been forced to memorise.

He was a serious actor and he’d been thrilled to find out he’d been cast in a film by an up and coming writer/director duo… only when he heard Aaron Dingle of all people was his co-star and would be playing his boyfriend, he’d been less than thrilled.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Aaron, he barely knew the guy, but the way everyone and their grandmother (and his own grandmother) talked about him as the greatest gift to the acting world, annoyed him. To put it mildly.

“I used to think he was a pretentious twat. But now I know the real Robert.”

The tabloids had of course picked up on the tension between them. Robert rolling his eyes instead of applauding at an award show where Aaron had won, Aaron mouthing wanker at Robert at a film premiere, they’d loved it all.

Even more so when word had gotten out that they were cast to play lovers in a new film.

Their co-stars, the crew, and everyone somehow involved in the film was suddenly high on the tabloids most wanted lists. Maybe just below the royal family.

And that was when someone, somewhere, had gotten the idea to have Robert and Aaron officially announce to be a couple and get the tabloids off their case.

They’d both hated it but also knew that if they valued their career at all, they’d play along.

Which was why they were now answering questions about their relationship in a hastily thrown together press conference with journalists already hanging around the film set.

“Who made the first move?”

“I did.” Both men answered at the same time and the room laughed.

“Things just… developed naturally.” Aaron said, looking at Robert who nodded in confirmation.

“We’re all very supportive of the relationship.” Al Chapman, the boss of the production company, added. “But we hope that you’ll all give these two the privacy they need to fully focus on the job as well as their actual love life. And you’ll be able to see the result of at least one of those things in cinemas in a few months.” He said, clapping his hands and wrapping up the press conference.

They’d been given the rest of the day off and taken back to the hotel suite Al had booked them in, together.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Robert walked over to the big king-size bed and just let himself fall onto it, burying his face in the pillows.

“I hate this.” He mumbled.

“Join the club.” Aaron replied, examining the mini bar. “Whiskey? Or vodka?” he pulled out two tiny bottles, clinking them together to get Robert’s attention.

He rolled over and pushed himself up on his elbows.

“That’s your solution? Get drunk?”

“Why not? We’re not due on set until tomorrow afternoon. And it’s not like we have to pay for any of this anyway.”

“Good point.”

“So… which one do you want? Whiskey or vodka? Or… I don’t know what else is in there… Gin?”

“Neither.” Robert sighed and let himself fall back on the bed again. “I gave up whiskey. The last time I got drunk on whiskey… well… 9 months later my son was born.”

“You have a son?”

Robert nodded.

“Yep. Sebastian. Seb. He’s three. Lives with his mum and aunt in Liverpool… I don’t see him as much as I’d like.”

“Because of the job?”

“Among other things.”

Aaron knocked back one of the little bottles of vodka and sat down in an armchair he dragged over to the bed.

“What things?”

“Why do you care? You hate me.”

“I think I just convinced a room full of showbiz reporters that I’m madly in love with you.” Aaron said, kicking off his shoes and resting his feet on the bed.

Robert snorted.

“I guess you’re a better actor than I thought.”

“I did win best actor last year.”

“I remember. I was there. I was nominated too.”

“I know. Is that why you hate me? Because I won instead of you?”

“No.” Robert sighed. “I don’t actually hate you.” He pushed himself up on his elbows again. “You’re just… everywhere. The perfect boy next door. The perfect son in law.”

“Me? Hardly.”

“Then your publicist is doing an awesome job.”

“I’ll tell her that.”

Robert sat up properly.

“Just so you know… I didn’t roll my eyes at you winning.” He admitted. “Nicola, my manager, she was sitting next to me and she made some comment about how I’d been replaced by a younger, prettier version… I was distracted and didn’t think to clap for you. And things just… got out of control from there.”

Aaron nodded. The press turning small things into huge issues was one of his pet peeves.

“Well then I’m sorry for calling you a wanker at the premier.” He said and offered Robert a sip of the tiny bottle in his hand. “You’re actually a nice guy to be around. When you’re not pretending to be god’s gift.”

“Look who’s talking.” Robert said laughingly and knocked back the bottle.

“Shut up. Just show me a picture of my future stepson already.” Aaron joked and waited for Robert to pull up a picture of Seb on his phone.

“That’s him.” Robert said, showing him a picture of himself with a little boy in his lap on the swings in a park.

“He’s cute.” Aaron commented. “Are you sure he’s yours?” he joked and they both laughed.

After that the ice had well and truly been broken and they ended up swapping stories about bad acting jobs and crazy family members.

At some point Aaron had moved from the chair onto the bed and they were lying face to face. Just talking but close enough to touch.

“You know, we should probably post something online. About us.” Robert suggested after a while. “To keep up the act.” He added quickly.

“Right. Yeah. We should.” Aaron mumbled.

Robert rolled over to grab his phone from the nightstand and put it on selfie mode.

“Come a little closer so I can take a picture.”

“You come to me.”

“Alright. Bossy.”

He moved over to Aaron who opened his arms for him, pulling him close. He’d never been this close to Aaron before but he didn’t exactly hate it. He buried his face in Aaron’s neck, breathing in the scent of his cologne.

“You smell nice.”

“Thanks.” Aaron smiled and Robert took a few pictures and posted them online, captioned "Early night".

“That should keep everyone happy for a while.”

“Yeah… probably.”

Instead of moving back to his own part of the bed, Robert stayed in Aaron’s arms. He was half asleep by now and ridiculously comfy. He felt Aaron press a kiss to the top of his head and moved so he could look him in the eye.

Neither of them spoke when Robert leaned in to kiss Aaron on the lips.

Or when Aaron threw a leg over his and pushed him onto his back.

Or when their clothes started to come off.

Maybe they weren’t exactly faking it anymore.


End file.
